Calf blood flow and ankle systolic blood pressure in intermittent claudication monitored over five years

The response of calf blood flow and ankle blood pressure to 2 minutes of ischemic exercise were recorded every 6 months over a 5-year period in 9 patients with intermittent claudication who were treated conservatively on a regime including alpha tocopherol. No statistically significant change was noted in the pattern of the calf blood flow response over this period. Statistically significant (P less than 0.05) increases in resting and minimal postexercise ankle systolic pressures were partially attributable to a concomitant increase in central arterial pressure as indicated by brachial systolic pressure. Results from 18 patients over 1 year and from 14 patients over 2 years are consistent with these findings. The evidence presented suggests that the arterial disease process was stable over this period.